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The Pittsburgh Pirates Series – Really?
The Giants’ series win (culminating in today’s second come from behind 9th Inning win), after a first game massive choke job that included a Doval meltdown and a Luciano glove made of stone, is in the running for the strangest series over the last few seasons. But a series win is a series win, and the Giants are in no position to worry about style points; it’s a tough division and getting to .500 (they are close) has been a slog.
The Youth Movement, the Bats and Chapman
The run of injuries to the starters resulted in the young bats coming up for their chance. The early returns have been positive. Collectively, the under-25 contingent of the Giants’ roster — Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos, Marco Luciano, Brett Wisely, and Patrick Bailey are hitting .341 with 20 RBI’s over the Giants’ last six games. That is good and the old guys (like Chapman and Wade) must be feeling pressured to perform (and they are, especially Chapman).
Chapman has been one of baseball’s streakiest hitters and he’s now on a streak. In the last series he went 5-for-13 with a homer in all three games and a bunch of spectacular plays at third base. That throw across the diamond last night to nail Bart and secure the victory was awesome. When Chapman is locked in, the Giants have one of the finest players in baseball. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Regardless, it has been heartwarming to see the bats wake up in the late innings and plate runs against closers – that feels good.
The Starters, Relievers and Closers – Do We Have enough?
Teams throughout baseball are churning through pitchers and the Giants are no exception. It seems like the bullpen is emptied regularly – not good Farhan but it’s not your fault, and not Melvin’s fault but the starters (except Webb) can’t seem to get deep into games. There was hope there for a while with Snell coming back but he’s so far been an expensive disaster.
Kyle Harrison looks good, and he’s young. Jordan Hicks is fading, but the Giants need him so bad they use him when he’s sick and the guys they keep trying out (like Mason Black) looks lost on the mound. We need Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray back to have a shot at surviving the summer.
The bullpen is strong, and Hjelle is a stud (and could be a starter I suspect) but the current state of starting pitching will put continuing pressure on the bullpen. Watching Doval at home and on the road though shows just how tough he is. You Go Camillo!
The Giants’ defense is shaky but coming around – hopefully soon.
Chapman is awesome, Bailey makes you forget Buster (if that’s possible) and picking up Curt Casali was a Godsend for stability. While Ramos looks like the second coming of Shoeless Joe Jackson in left field the drop-off from Nick Ahmed to Luciano and from Jung Hoo-Lee to Matos is stark. We will miss Lee but hopefully Yaz and Slater can come back during the next series and stabilize the outfield.
The Phillies and the Yankees come into town starting on Memorial Day (Monday).
The next two weeks will not be easy. The Phillies and the Yankees are both leading their divisions (by the same margin generally that the LA team is leading the NL West) and looking like 500-pound Gorillas. The G-Men got swept by the Phillies in Philadelphia two weeks ago so it’s payback time and the Yankees always come into town with a swagger (and with Arron Judge). It’s a good time for the G-Men to jell. Taking both series would do wonders for the team confidence as the summer starts.
On the board ready to be picked up are:
MON 5/27 Phillies (2:05) – 3 [I’m going]
TUES 5/28 Phillies (6:45) – 4
WED 5/29 Phillies (12:45) – 4
SUN 6/2 Yankees (1:05) – 4
Let the torture continue!
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
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THE PROTOCOL: The firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters so bring your glove – I have collected 22 foul balls myself over 23 years and am looking for more. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a wait list.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.
Oh, and BTW, The Czar found the original Hinman & Carmichael brick from 2000 (after looking for it every year since 2000) and found H&C’s Gotham Club Founders Bat! If you are on the patio, or in the Club, look for the symbols of baseball!
